Protective enclosure for service station dispensers



April 14, 1964 H. e. BERTRAND PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR SERVICE STATIONDISPENSERS Filed July 11. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

HOWAR D G. BERTRAND ATTORNEYS.

April 14, 1964 H. G. BERTRAND PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR SERVICE STATIONDISPENSERS Filed July 11. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 74 I58 I56 I54 I56 I64I. i g/ 84" ago I22 INVENTOR.

was 36 HOWARD e. BERTRAND BY v Ap 1964 H. e. BERTRAND PROTECTIVEENCLOSURE FOR SERVICE STATION DISPENSERS Filed July 11, 1961 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. HOWARD G. BERTRAND United States Patent3,128,914 PRGTECTIVE ENQLGSURE FOR SERVICE STATIGN DISPENSERS Howard G.Bertrand, 127 Butternut Drive, Hatboro, Pa. Filed July 11, 196i, Ser.No. 123,213 20 Claims. (Cl. 222-446) This invention relates to aprotective enclosure for service station dispensers and, moreparticularly, to an enclosure which will protect the variousdistribution outlets, used in connection with the servicing of a car,from the deleterious effects usually caused by long exposure to outdoorconditions, as well as against operational diflicuties encountered inconnection with the low temperatures of winter.

It is known to provide a variety of servicing facilities at servicestations. Such well known facilities include dispensing heads forradiator water, battery water and air for inflation purposes.

As now constituted, the service station dispensers are sought to beprotected from-normal outdoor exposure by some type of spaced overheadbarrier, such as a marginal roof. This structure, however, has notproved to be completely protective and, moreover, has no protectivevalue against the low temperatures of the winter months.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide aprotective enclosure for service stations dispensers which will combatthe deleterious effects of outdoor exposure, as well as foulingtendencies brought about by conditions of low temperature.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a protectiveenclosurew hich enables the enclosed dispensers to be easily reachedwhen desired and which provides essentially complete protection assoon'as the dispensers are no longer in use.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a protectiveenclosure which can be easily adapted for use either under extremelycold conditions or in warmer weather.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide aprotective enclosure for service station dispensers which is uniquelyrecessed and designed-for efficient and dependable operation, whichrequires little maintenance and which provides easy access totheinternal elements thereof when maintenance is desired.

The foregoing, as well as other objects of this invention, are achievedby providing a protective enclosure for service station dispenserscomprising a recessed protective housing having an open end, a doorhingedly, secured to the housing and removeably covering said open end,support linkage associated with said door and-adapted to hold said doorin an open position, dispensing elements located in said housing, saiddispensing elements adapted to be withdrawn from said housing prior todispensing and adapted to be replaced therein-subsequent to dispensing,switch means associated with said dispensing elements and adapted to beactivated thereby, solenoid means adapted to release said supportlinkage, said solenoid means and switch means being related electricallyin series so that replacement of all of the dispensing elements in saidhousing will automatically cause said door to close and the solenoidmeans being deactivated by the closing of said door.

The present invention in its more specific aspects also includes heatingelements, easily removeable doors for gaining access to a cabinethousing the necessary connections to the dispensing elements, and abuilt-in Waste receptacle to which access is easily gained. Furthermore,the housing of the present invention is uniquely shaped in order tofacilitate the entry of the connections to the dispensing elements.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational View, with portions broken away for thesake of clarity, of a protective enclosure for service stationdispensers embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view, with portions broken away for thesake of clarity, of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG.2, with portions broken away for the sake of clarity, with the door inthe open position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the lines55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the lines6'6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken along the lines7-7 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 8 is a wiring diagram of a door closing circuit useable inconnection with the device of FIG. 1.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawingswherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, aprotective enclosure for service station dispensers embodying thepresent invention is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. Device 10basically comprises a supporting frame 12 and a recessed protectivehousing 14 supported thereon. Door 16 removeably covers an open end ofhousing 14 and is held in the open position of FIG. 4 by means ofsupport linkage 18.

Dispensing elements 29 (FIG. 4) are positioned within the housing 14 andare adapted to be Withdrawn and replaced therein in accordance with thedispensing needs. Switchmeans 22 are associated with eachdispensingelement 20 and are adapted to be activated thereby. Solenoidmeans 24 (FIG. 3) are adapted to release support linkage 18 when all ofthe dispensing elements 20 have been replaced in housing 14. It is to benoted that switch means 22 and solenoid means 24 are relatedelectrically in series.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the supporting frame 12 comprises side wallpanels 26, front wall panel 23 and rear Wall panel 30.

Positioned adjacent the lower surface of supporting frame 12 are aplurality of supply wells 32 which containthe various items to bedispensed, such as water and air. The supply Wells 32 are held in placeby horizontal angle member 34 which is bolted in place in a well knownmanner. Emerging upwardly from each supply well 32 is a supply conduit36 with associated adaptive collar 38. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, theupper end of supply conduit 36 is telescoped within sleeve 40 of bumperball 42. The bumper ball 42 has an annular opening, and thus the conduit36, as shown in FIG. 3, may project therethrough until appropriatelyreceived in dispensing element 20.

Itis to be noted that rear wall panel 30 is removeably secured to sidewall panels 26 in such a manner that it may easily be removed forservicing purposes. Moreover, front wall panel 28 possesses a largecentral opening which is covered by a door 44 which is hingedly SB?cured to the front panel via hinges 46. Door 44 may be opened and closedas desired by grasping knob 48. A lock (not shown) may be provided ifdeemed desirable.

The door '44 is a generally rectangular panel but includes an upper cutout section 50' to permit access to waste receptacle 52 positionedimmediately behind the door 44. The waste receptacle is of a generallyparale lelepiped configuration having front, rear and side panels, and abase where desired. The rear panel 54 is of a height slightly greaterthan the lower edge of section 50. Accordingly, the side panels of thewaste receptacle taper downwardly along their upper edge in moving fromthe rear panel 54 to section 50. It is to be noted that upper end 58 isopen in order that the waste material may be placed in the wastereceptacle 52. A door 68 is positioned against the inner surface offront wall panel 28 and is hingedly secured thereto along its upperhorizontal edge by hinges 62. The door 60 may be pushed backwardly to bepivoted about an upper horizontal axis in order to give access to wastereceptacle 52. Backward movement of the door 60 is limited by abutmentof the lower horizontal edge 64 of the door 68 against rear panel 54.The hinges 62 may be spring biased so that the door 60 will immediatelyreturn to the generally vertical position of FIG. 1 as soon as it isreleased. The door 60 cannot be pivoted forwardly from the position ofFIG. 1 because lower horizontal edge 64 abuts against the interiorsurface of front wall panel 28 of support frame 12. The hinges 62 may besecured to front wall panel 28 via bolts 66 in a well known manner.

Housing 14 is positioned upon support frame 12 and is held thereon in awell known manner. As shown in FIG. 3, housing 14 comprises an outerchamber 68 and an inner chamber 70.

The outer chamber 68 includes a base 72 with appropriate openings forpassage of supply conduits 36. Outer chamber 68 further comprises sidewalls 74, rear wall 76 and front frame 78 comprising upper section 80,lower section 82 and side sections 84. A top wall 86 is also providedfor outer chamber 68.

Inner chamber 7 8 is positioned within the outer chamber 68 andsupported thereby. The inner chamber 70 possesses an open outer endwhich essentially coincides with the front opening of outer chamber 68and defined by front frame '78. Inner chamber 78 further comprises adownwardly sloping top wall 88, slightly upwardly sloping base wall 90and frontwardly sloping rear wall 92. Appropriate side walls 94 are alsoprovided. As best shown in FIG. 3, the forwardly sloping rear wall 92permits the supply conduit 36 to be bent essentially for a full rightangle in considerably less spacing from rear wall 76 than would bepossible if the rear wall 92 of the inner chamber 70 was positionedgenerally parallel to the rear wall of the outer chamber.

Door 16, as shown in FIG. 2, comprises top frame 96, bottom frame 98 andside frames 100. A pane of glass 102 is secured behind the frames ofdoor 16 in a well known manner. Thus, the contents of the inner chamber70 may be viewed at all times to the benefit of both the user and theservice station owner. The door 16 is hingedly secured to top wall 86 ofouter chamber 68 along its top frame 96 by means of horizontal hinge 104secured to top wall 86 and top frame 96 in a well known manner.

As shown in FIG. 3, the door 16 may be held in the open position bymeans of support linkage 18. This linkage is of a generally arcuateshape and is fastened to a side frame 100 of the door 16 through themedium of a bracket 106. Bracket 106 is basically T-shaped with the base108 being fastened to a side frame 100 of the door 16. Leg 110 of thebracket 106 includes an opening which facilitates the securement of oneend of support linkage 18 thereto. The support linkage 18 slideablypasses through an opening 112 in a side section 84 and front frame 78 ofouter chamber 68. Secured adjacent free end 114 of linkage 18 is abearing pad 116 for a purpose which will be explained in detailhereinafter. The linkage 18 also possesses notches 118 which arecomplementary to lower edge 120 defining opening 112. Thus, the door 16may be held in the open position by merely opening the door sufficientlyso that lower edge 120 interfits in one of the notches 118. It isaccordingly seen that the door 16 may be easily closed by merely forcingsupport linkage 18 upwardly for a small 4 distance such that the notch118 is unseated from lower edge 120. Immediately, the weight of the door16 will cause it to pivot downwardly to the closed position.

It is to be noted that the impact of door 16 against front frame 78 iscushioned by virtue of elongated rollers 122 fastened to the front frame78 in a well known manner. Moreover, air cylinder 124 is operativelyassociated with the door 16, as shown in FIG. 7. Chamber 126 of aircylinder 124 possesses an opening through which a piston is introducedinto the cylinder 124. Piston rod 138 projects outwardly from thecylinder 124 and is secured to a bracket 132, similar in construction tobracket 106 which in turn is secured to a side frame .100 of the door16, as indicated in FIG. 5. The other end of the chamber 126 is securedto the base of outer chamber 68 of housing 14 through associated linkage134, '136 and '138.

-It is to be noted that the linkage 18 may be easily separated from topwall 86 so that the door 16 may be separated from the housing, ifdesired, in the Summer months. However, it is quite likely that servicestations will desire to maintain the door 16 in place during the Summerfor purposes of protection from outdoor exposure. It is to be furthernoted that a heater is secured to the base of support frame 12 toprevent freezing conditions from reaching supply wells 32. A secondheater 137 (FIG. 3) may be secured beneath base wall 90 of inner chamber'70 for a similar purpose. It is to be further noted that a light source139 with appropriate electrical connections is secured exteriorly of topwall 88 of inner chamber 70. A transparent or translucent panel 14-2 issecured to top wall 88 by L-shaped brackets 144 in such a manner as tobe spaced from the light source 139. An appropriate opening for thepanel 142 is provided in top wall 88.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, a switch 146 may be secured against rear wall92 in the inner housing in order to control light source 139. It is offurther interest to note that a braking system employing hydraulicliquids may be substituted for the air cylinder 124 and its associatedsystem in order to slow the closing of door 16.

As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the dispensing means assembly 148comprises a dispensing element 20 secured to the free end of supplyconduit 36 which is telescoped for a short portion within a sleeve 40communicating with bumper ball 42. In a well known manner, thedispensing element 20 is grasped by the user and pulled from its seatedposition of FIG. 3 to be withdrawn from the inner chamber 70 and usedfor the purpose intended. As shown in FIG. 3, a valve handle 150 isappropriately secured immediately behind the dispensing element 20 inorder to control the flow of the material to be dispensed throughdispensing element 20.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, this withdrawal action is facilitated by fourperipherally arranged rollers 152, 154, 156 and 158.

These rollers are each revolvably seated in a support plate 160 which isafiixed to rear wall 92 of inner chamber 14 by bolts 162. The supportplate 160 has formed there in a central cut-out portion 164 in the formof a cross. Each of the aforementioned rollers is revolvably seated in aleg of the cross so that rollers 152 and 156 rotate about a horizontalaxis and rollers 154 and 158 rotate about a vertical axis.

As best shown in FIG. 6, bumper ball 42 comprises a forwardsemi-cylindrical section 166 and a rearward tapered section 168.

It is to be noted that rearward portion of supply conduit 36 ismaintained in a backward tension such that when the user releases adispensing head 20, the dispensing means assembly will immediately movebackwardly to eventually return to the position of FIG. 3 in a gentlemanner.

An important aspect of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6, whichshows the details of plate 168' and its securement to rear wall 92.Plate 161) is in reality U- shaped wherein legs 170 thereof abut againstrear wall 92 and wherein the bridging portion 172 thereof possesses thecentral opening 164 as previously discussed. A complementary opening 174for conduit 36 and associated sleeve 40' is formed in the wall 92.Bridging'portion 172 also includes two pairs of closely spacedfingers176 defining slots 178 therebetween which receive pins 181 that revolvably support the rollers 152, 154, 156 and 158. Immediately positionedbehind the fingers 176 is a hearing plate 182 which lies generallyparallel to the bridging portion .172. Plate 182 includes openingstherein in order that it may be slidably received on the stems of bolts162. The lower portion of plate 182 is essentially locked in place bymeans of lock nut 184 threaded on the stem of lower bolt 162 in bearingengagement against the plate 182 in such a manner that lower pin 180will at all times be held in the seated position in its slot 178. Aslight amount of play between the plate 182 and the nut 184 obtainedbyadjustment thereof is however necessary in order that the upper end ofthe plate 182 may move in the manner as will be described hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 6, nuts 186 maintain the bolts 162 in place. Aspreviously discussed, the upper portion of plate 18-2 is slidablyreceived in the stem of upper bolt 162. However, a coil spring 188 istelescoped about the stem of upper bolt 162 to bias the upper portion ofthe plate 182 forwardly, thereby tending to maintain the upper pin 180in the upper slot 178. An appropriate washer 2190 is also secured behindthe plate 182 within the coil spring 188.

As shown in FIG. 6, the bumper ball 42 is essentially seated in itsposition of non-use. When the dispensing element 20 has been used and isreturned to the inner chamber 70, the conduit 36 is drawn backwardlyinto inner chamber 71 as has been previously discussed.

As it is drawn backwardly, bumper ball 42 eventually reaches theposition of FIG. 6, but the force of return will carry it a bit furtherto the left of the position of FIG. 6 so that the rollers 152 and 156thereshown will be forced backwardly. Roller 156, however, isessentially prevented from lateral movement by the lock nut 184.Therefore, substantially the entire backward force will be exerted uponthe pin 80 which is secured to upper roller 152. This in turn will causethe upper portion of the plate 182 to pivot about its lower edge or tomove backwardly against the force of coil spring 188.

In this manner, plate 182 contacts switch means 22, thereby closing theswitch. Each dispensing element 28 is adapted to activate a switch 22and the switches 22 are arranged electrically in series, as shown inFIG. 8. When all of the dispensing elements have been returned to thestorage position of FIG. 3, all of the switches 22 are closed, asindicated in FIG. 8. As further shown in FIG. 8, the solenoid 24 is alsoplaced in series electrically with switch 22.

Thus, when all of the dispensing elements have been returned to storageposition, a circuit is completed and solenoid 24 accordingly isactivated. This activation consists of forcing solenoid plunger 1%outwardly of solenoid 24 to move upwardly against bearing pad 116 whichis secured to the lower edge of linkage 1-8. Upward movement of solenoidplunger 190 in turn forces the free end 114 of linkage 18 upwardly sothat notch 118 is unseated from lower edge 12!). When this occurs, theweight of the door 16 immediately forces the door to close. The rate ofsuch closing is controlled by the air cylinder 124.

When the door 16 has closed, contact button 192 thereon meets thecontact element 194 of microswitch 196 shown in FIGS. 3 and 8.Microswitch 196 is so constituted that the meeting of contacts 192 and194 causes the switch to be opened, thereby opening the circuit of FIG.8.

This in turn deactivates the solenoid 24 so that the plunger is causedto return into the solenoid by an associated spring which is securedthereto in a well known manner. As soon as the door 16 is opened bya-prospective user, the contacts 192 and 194 no longer touch and thusthe switch 196 is closed. When the user grasps a dispensing element 20,the associated switch 22' is opened and the circuit of FIG. 8 isaccordingly no longer a closed one. Therefore, the solenoid 24- remainsinactivateduntil all of the dispensing elements 20 have been returned tothe storage position. Thus, the notch .118 of the linkage 18 may beseated in lower edge 1242 in order that the door 16 will remain open.

It is thus seen that a protective enclosure for service stationdispensers is provided which will afford substantial continuousprotection for the various dispensing elements. As soon as the servicestation dispensers are no longer in use, as when the last dispensingelement is replaced in the protective enclosure, the hinged door will bereleased to close to protect the dispensing elements. Thus, theabovefreezing temperatures maintained inside the enclosure by theattached heaters will not be substantially lowered.

A further significant aspect of the present invention is the forwardlysloping rear wall 92 which permits the sup ply conduit 36 to be bentessentially for a full right angle in considerably less spacing fromrear wall 76 of the outer chamber than would be possible if the rearwall 92 of inner chamber 70 was positioned generally parallel thereto.Thus, the protective enclosure may be more compact than otherwise.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the.

present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. -Itis, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appendedclaims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specificallydescribed.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A protective enclosure for a service station dispenser containing atleast one dispensing element, said enclosure comprising a recessedprotective housing having an open end, a door hingedly secured to thehousing and removeably covering said open end, support linkage andsolenoid means associated with said door and adapted to hold said doorin an open position, at least one dispensing element located in saidhousing, said dispensing element adapted to be withdrawn from saidhousing prior to dispensing and adapted to be replaced thereinsubseq-uent to dispensing, switch means associated with said dispensingelement and adapted to be activated thereby upon return of said elementto said housing, said solenoid means adapted to release said supportlinkage upon activation by said switch means, said solenoid means andswitch means being related electrically in series so that replacement ofsaid dispensing element in said housing will automatically cause saiddoor to close and the solenoid means being deactivated by the closing ofsaid door.

2. The invention of claim 1 including a supply conduit associated withsaid dispensing element and a bumper ball operatively secured to saidsupply conduit.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said support linkage has one endfastened to said door and has engageable notches formed therein adaptedto be seated in a frame defining said open end.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said bumper ball is adapted toactivate said switch means when said dispensing element is returned tosaid housing.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said solenoid means includes aplunger adapted to be forced against said linkage when said solenoidmeans is activated, whereby said linkage is unseated from said doorframe fo initiate the closing of said door.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein an air cylinder is associated withsaid door to retard the rate of closing thereof when said linkage isunseated.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein said protective enclosure ispositioned upon a supporting frame.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein a waste receptacle is formed withinsaid supporting frame.

9. The invention of claim 1 wherein said protective housing includes afrontwardly sloping rear wall whereby conduits extending backwardly fromsaid dispensing elements may be bent for a full right angle within asmall space.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said protective housing ispositioned within an outer chamber.

11. The invention of claim 1 wherein said door includes a transparentportion and wherein a light source is associated within said housing.

12. The invention of claim 1 wherein heaters are associated with saidhousing.

13. The invention of claim 1 including a bumper ball adapted to actuatesaid switch means upon return of said dispensing element to saidhousing, said bumper ball being associated with said switch means, saidbumper ball being adapted to urge pivoted plate means against saidswitch means upon return of said dispensing element to said housing.

14. A protective enclosure for service station dispensers containingmore than one dispensing element, said enclosure comprising a recessedprotective housing having an open end, a door hingedly secured to thehousing and removably covering said open end, support linkage andsolenoid means associated with said door and adapted to hold said doorin an open position, at least two dispensing elements located in saidhousing, said dispensing elements adapted to be withdrawn from saidhousing prior to dispensing and adapted to be replaced thereinsubsequent to dispensing, switch means associated with said dispensingelements and adapted to be activated thereby upon return of all of saidelements to said housing, said solenoid means adapted to release saidsupport linkage upon activation by said switch means, said solenoidmeans and switch means being related electrically in series so thatreturn of all of said dispensing elements in said housing willautomatically cause said door to close and the solenoid means beingdeactivated by the closing of said door.

15. The invention of claim 14 including a supply conduit associated witheach dispensing element and a bumper ball operatively secured to eachsaid supply conduit.

16. The invention of claim 15 wherein said door is held in an openposition by means of associated support linkage, said support linkagehaving one end fastened to said door and having engageable notchesformed therein and adapted to be seated in a frame defining said openend.

"17. The invention of claim 16 wherein said bumper ball is adapted toactivate said switch means when said dispensing element is returned tosaid housing.

18. The invention of claim 17 wherein said solenoid means includes aplunger adapted to be forced against said linkage when said solenoidmeans is activated, whereby said linkage is unseated from said doorframe to initiate the closing of said door.

19. The invention of claim 18 wherein an air cylinder is associated withsaid door to retard the rate of closing thereof when said linkage isunseated.

20. The invention of claim 14 wherein said protective housing includes afrontwardly sloping rear wall whereby conduits extending backwardly fromsaid dispensing ele ments may be bent for a full right angle within asmall space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,740,748 Read Dec. 24, 1929 2,181,521 Reade Nov. 28, 1939 2,541,352Ginter Feb. 13, 1951 2,545,063 Wolfe Mar. 13, 1951

1. A PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR A SERVICE STATION DISPENSER CONTAINING ATLEAST ONE DISPENSING ELEMENT, SAID ENCLOSURE COMPRISING A RECESSEDPROTECTIVE HOUSING HAVING AN OPEN END, A DOOR HINGEDLY SECURED TO THEHOUSING AND REMOVEABLY COVERING SAID OPEN END, SUPPORT LINKAGE ANDSOLENOID MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID DOOR AND ADAPTED TO HOLD SAID DOORIN AN OPEN POSITION, AT LEAST ONE DISPENSING ELEMENT LOCATED IN SAIDHOUSING, SAID DISPENSING ELEMENT ADAPTED TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM SAIDHOUSING PRIOR TO DISPENSING AND ADAPTED TO BE REPLACED THEREINSUBSEQUENT TO DISPENSING, SWITCH MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID DISPENSINGELEMENT AND ADAPTED TO BE ACTIVATED THEREBY UPON RETURN OF SAID ELEMENTTO SAID HOUSING, SAID SOLENOID MEANS ADAPTED TO RELEASE SAID SUPPORTLINKAGE UPON ACTIVATION BY SAID SWITCH MEANS, SAID SOLENOID MEANS ANDSWITCH MEANS BEING RELATED ELECTRICALLY IN SERIES SO THAT REPLACEMENT OFSAID DISPENSING ELEMENT IN SAID HOUSING WILL AUTOMATICALLY CAUSE SAIDDOOR TO CLOSE AND THE SOLENOID MEANS BEING DEACTIVATED BY THE CLOSING OFSAID DOOR.